The Hip Hop Project Page #8

but usually it would take me

to call him.

- I'm learning that now.

Like, with my moms too,

I'm waiting on her to try to

resolve the whole relationship.

Just because somebody's

your parent

don't mean they got it all together,

you know what I'm saying?

- Holla.

- So you sometimes will be the one

to have to take the lead

and initiate stuff, so...

- Not living on the streets

no more.

- Holla.

- That's a big, big, big, big,

big accomplishment,

thanks to Kazi and family.

- I had a great time

in the Bahamas.

I had a very good time

with my foster mother down there

in terms of just,

every day we had a conversation,

and, you know, just a lot of-

lot of things just undone.

You can go years holding animosity

or thoughts about somebody,

and, you know, it was like

a spiritual journey, man.

I was-a lot of changes,

definitely a lot of changes.

- Dear Daddy

Hey, how you doin'

I hope you're holding up

And the pictures

cheer you up

I sent you 50 dollars

And I hope it was enough

College is all right

But the professor's

kind of tough

The boys been actin' up

Junior's getting big

And James is into girls

I keeps them in their books

I make sure they home

and not coming in late

I give 'em money when I can

if Mommy doesn't have it

Otherwise we fine

I guess she's a'ight

You know she don't like

to talk about her feelings

The other morning

when she drove me to school

She started crying and

The other morning

when she drove me to school

I seen tears

- I like that, but I don't want

you to do it so emotional.

- So you want me to be

more monotone?

- Not monotone,

but when you hear yourself about

to really like, burst out,

tighten back on it, all right?

- All right.

I used to live the life

Always got what I wanted

Moms was doing great

Then I just

watched it plummet

But materials

ain't mean sh*t to me

It was when she got worse

And became my priority

Pops wasn't around

So she was

who I looked up to

Gave me love,

emotional support

Plus she bought me stuff too

Watched her go from walking

in walkers

From taking care of herself

To needing all them damn

doctors to support her

She couldn't do something

as simple...

If I don't do music,

it's like then I can't see

'cause the world, like,

gets ahead of me,

like, there's a whole bunch

of people out there

that want to do the same thing

and are as passionate

or something,

and then, like,

while I'm sleeping,

they could be, like,

breathing on my neck,

taking-

wanting to take that slot.

- I think he's crazy.

- Why?

- Because his schoolwork

is very, very poor.

Christopher,

read it for yourself.

- What?

- What your-

- Read my progress report?

- Yes, please.

- Okay.

Okay, it's two 55s,

and two non-credits.

- I think the music is good,

but he needs, you know,

to get out of high school,

get into a college

so if the music fail,

he have something

to fall back on.

- The music's not

going to fail, though.

- It will,

and you don't know.

- I know it's not going to fail.

- Anything can happen.

- No, anything can't happen.

It can happen,

but that can't happen

unless I-unless I meet,

you know what I'm saying?

Unless I meet my maker

real soon,

that's not going to happen.

Like, I'm guaranteed it.

I know, like, there's nothing.

I'm guaranteed it.

- All these years

that your mother was alive,

you were in school,

I'm picking up,

you feel like

we're both wasting time

if you can't even produce

a high school diploma.

At least that, so later on,

if something happens,

you won't be so disappointed

with the music

because, I mean,

nothing is 100% sure.

- Yo, y'all been missing out, G,

like, because me and CaNNoN

been grinding, grinding.

- But you cannot miss school.

No, wait.

I just need to interject.

No, I'm not-

It's not on you.

I'm saying it for the table.

I appreciate the artistry

and the spirit,

but you cannot miss school.

If you start missing school,

it's no different from being

on a basketball team.

You're not going to play.

You're going to be benched.

- Yeah, listen up

Listen up

Listen up,

I got a story to tell

We were young with dreams

On doing the rap thing

But something was missing

That's knowin' the industry

Once we got it

We started the process

on wanting to progress

Kazi told us just to switch up

the topic on writing

I gave him headaches

Always verbally fighting

Always refusing to do

what this man was implying

The rest would listen

I would be

the only one trippin'

While others made

the transition

I was resistant

Huffin' and puffin'

Ready to give up

and say f*** it

But something inside me

Told me to keep budgin'

I didn't want to

write songs that were gonna

Talk about how we ought

to give hope

To those from the gutter

I was young and dumb

Talking about guns and drugs

Following others

And spittin' about sh*t

that I never done

When they elevated

I wasn't down

for those changes

We was all one book

But still on different pages...

I hope that the message that we putting

in this album really gets heard.

It's important that we leave

a good road for kids to follow

that is not all about

selling drugs and having guns.

Hey, yo, CaNNoN had a song

on when his mother died

Then Princess had a song

called A Mother's Cry

Both songs are fire,

and it truly inspired

People to listen

And besides,

that gangster sh*t was tired

I was only getting by

with these one-verse rhymes

Then I would wonder why I had

to go and play the sidelines

Once the group started shining,

it was leaving me hurt

But what a jerk

It was my fault

for lacking in work

Thinkin' Tohki

with his poetry

Was explosively

opening

His opportunities

I was noticing Divine

had a plot

On taking over these blocks

with Team Revolution

Now we got Canarsie on lock

Young niggas in the grind

making sh*t happen

And here I am unfocused,

females were my distraction

The school situation

left a nigga devastated

Feeling like

I let my mother down

Inside my heart was aching

I started losing faith

Thinking on erasing myself

up off the scene

'Cause I felt out of place

But my peoples

around the way

They said I needed to stay

On overcoming the pain

I need to step up my game

But in the meanwhile

Agony left

It was very clear to me

That her monkey ass

was full of herself

This the truth

that I'm spitting

I'm putting out

my business

So fall back and relax

Pay attention and listen

- Music is really a gift.

I remember watching

a documentary about Fela Kuti,

and he was talking about

to be an artist or a musician,

it's a blessing,

and when you abuse that

and feed the people

nonsense or garbage,

you-you know,

you have a high price to pay.

And that hit me, you know?

Especially doing this work.

Music is a healing art.

It's a release, you know?

Don't hold that stuff inside.

It cause ulcers and cancer, man.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes